The history of the Yampa Valley is indelibly written by the hoofprints of cattle and sheep.
Long before ski-racked SUVs descended Rabbit Ears Pass, cattle and sheep herders stocked ranches across Routt County that still exist today. In 1913, Steamboat was the leading U.S. shipping point for cattle. Agriculture flourished, with the Yampa Valley sending strawberries, lettuce, potatoes, barley, oats and peas across the country.
It wasn’t until the 1970s, as local ag struggled with labor and logistics, that Steamboat built its first gondola and gained prominence as a destination ski resort. In a county reliant on ranching and coal mining, the ski resort promised to bring new revenue and industries. It was an opportunity to create a year-round playground that would draw tourists and new permanent residents alike.
Fast forward 50 years, and Steamboat consistently ranks among the nation’s top ski resorts and mountain town destinations. What draws people to Steamboat – the vast open landscape and Cowboy Culture – is deeply rooted in the valley’s rich agricultural heritage. Something the Yampa Valley Community Ag Alliance (CAA) was founded to preserve and promote.
Preserving Ag’s Legacy and Securing Its Future
Established in 1999 by a small but prescient group of local ranchers and business leaders, the CAA was created to ensure that the local ag community could adapt to a changing economy and remain resilient, active and vital for generations to come. They realized what is so evident today: The delicate balance between preserving the agricultural landscape and leveraging the western lifestyle is what makes this valley so special. This premise was echoed in Routt County’s Vision 2030 work, in which surveyed residents ranked community character (aka, that “small town feel”), agriculture and open space, as top priorities for the future.
Yet Steamboat, like so many other resort-based economies, was at high risk of losing agricultural lands to other uses. To survive and remain economically viable, local agriculture had to reinvent itself – and the CAA took the lead.
Today, the CAA plays a vital role in maintaining the resilience of agriculture in Routt County. The non-profit provides resources, advocacy and support for local producers – whether it’s helping producers access state and national USDA and other grant funding, or offering direct financial support through low interest micro loans funded by private donations.
The CAA also assumes a leadership role for agriculture in water-related issues, recognizing that water is a precious resource for both local producers and the greater community (including the ski resort). Their advocacy ensures that agricultural water rights work within a balanced river system. Most importantly, the CAA is committed to promoting local food and to building a resilient local food system – something that became vitally important during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Price of Living Here
While current residents and prospective buyers alike struggle with the rising costs of real estate and land across Routt County, no one feels it more than the ranchers and producers who rely on it for their livelihoods.
On average, U.S. farmers and ranchers receive only 15 cents of every retail dollar spent on food at and away from home, and producer margins decline as food moves along the food system. Given that the cost to live and produce is higher in the Yampa Valley, having access to a local consumer and wholesale market is essential to ensuring local ag’s sustainability.
Many local ranchers rely on direct to consumer sales to secure higher margins than commodity pricing. Wholesale to local restaurants has also become an essential outlet – coupled with consumer exposure through the local farmers market and the CAA’s Yampa Valley Foods.
Today, Yampa Valley Foods offers direct access to locally grown and produced food from close to 100 different producers across the valley. These producers sell beef, lamb, pork and poultry, fresh produce, eggs, cheese, dog treats, honey, pantry staples, homemade condiments and baked goods, artisan goods, and more.
Explained Chase Hall, ranch manager of Yampa Valley Ranch, a 2,200 acre cattle operation that sells grass-finished American and 100% Wagyu beef through the CAA, “The CAA plays a critical role in connecting consumers to local agriculture. Yes, it’s about convenience, having a single source that aggregates local products. But it’s also about connecting local producers to consumers who really care about where their food comes from and are willing to pay a premium price for the superior products we offer.”
The Benefits of Buying Local
While consumers always care about the cost of food, many have become more sensitive to the quality and nutritional value they get for their food dollars. Through the CAA and Yampa Valley Foods, consumers can access local food and all the benefits that go along with it.
Local food is fresher and more nutritious. For example, produce loses vitamins and minerals the longer it’s stored and transported. Grass-finished beef and pasture-raised pork and lamb offer higher nutritional value than commodity protein. Supermarket eggs can be up to 60 days old, and lack the vitamins, minerals and lower cholesterol of fresh, free-range eggs.
Local food also tastes better, is handled and processed less – reducing risk from contamination and the chemicals used to preserve food. There’s also tremendous value in knowing where your food comes from – and local food ensures greater transparency. Moreover, buying local food supports the local economy, local producers, businesses and jobs.
Directly comparing the price of eggs, for example, between conventional and pasture raised is not an apples-to-apples decision. “When you compare egg quality between commercial producers and local farmers, it comes down to freshness,” adds Colby Townsend of Hayden Fresh Farm. “Once an egg is laid, nutritional value immediately begins to degrade. The longer an egg is out, the less nutritional value it preserves.” Consider that the next time you buy supermarket eggs that can stay on-shelf up to 60 days.
A Shared Commitment and Responsibility
Whether you live in the Yampa Valley, full- or part-time, or treasure the opportunities you have to visit, we all share a desire and obligation to preserve what makes it so special. By supporting local agriculture and the Community Ag Alliance, we can do our part to maintain our cherished “small rural town” lifestyle.
Concluded Chase Hall, “Steamboat does a better job than most ski towns. But for our communities to thrive, we have to integrate and balance these two distinct ecosystems – tourism and agriculture.”
You can support local agriculture by visiting Yampa Valley Foods, buying direct from local producers, or through a donation to the Community Ag Alliance.